By Kim McDarison

The Whitewater Arts Alliance will again be hosting its annual summertime event, “Savory Sounds,” which brings music to one of the city’s 20 parks, Flat Iron Park, 402 W. Main St., Whitewater. 

The concert series offers scheduled concerts on Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. 

Savory Sounds provides an opportunity for both entertainment and lunch, as each performer is paired with an outdoor dining opportunity, this year’s program chairman James Olm recently noted as part of a news release.

Attending the concerts is free and open to the public. Lunch may be purchased from the onsite vender. 

“With a dedication to cultural diversity this year, the concert series not only has a diversely cultural selection of musical groups, but it will also have vendors that offer a savory food selection that will match the culture of the music,” Olm was quoted as saying in the release.

The season’s first concert will be held June 20, and will feature the sounds of “Peggy Mueller and Friends,” paired with food offered for purchase by Annie’s Burgertown. The performer’s repertoire features “German fest music,” the release noted.

Additionally, this year’s lineup will include:

• The Currach Irish Trio, a group of Irish folk and reel music performers who will be paired with Annie’s Burgertown. The event will be held June 27.

• Piper Road Spring Band, a group of performers who play Bluegrass music, and will be paired with Rocky Rococo’s. The event will be held July 11.

• Amanecer y Mas, a group of performers who play Hispanic music. The group will be paired with Tienda Y Taqueria La Preferida on July 18. 

• Jimmy Sugarcane, an individual who performs Reggae and Fusion. He will be paired with Holisac’s Taste of Africa on July 25.

Flat Iron park, which is best know for its centerpiece, the Birge Fountain, is one of many city parks worthy of exploration this summer.

Along with Savory Sounds and Flat Iron Park, other parks within the city of Whitewater available for exploration this summer include:

• Brick Park, 611 W. Center St., which, the city of Whitewater’s website states, is a former location of several schools, including one formerly known as “the big brick schoolhouse,” for which the 1.1-acre park is named. The land for the park was given to the city in 2001. More recently, the park has become known for its seasonal hosting of the city’s popup ice skating rink. Year round, the park offers a picnic area, enclosed shelter, and restrooms, among other amenities.

• Brewery Hill, 116 W. North St., is found along Whitewater Creek, on, the website states, “the outskirts of downtown,” and near the building which has come to be known by many as “the old armory.” The 7.3-acre park finds its name in some area history: In 1859, a resident, George Strain, established a brewery, the website notes, on the “corner of North and Jefferson” streets. The area became known as “Brewery Hill,” because each winter, the city would “close down the street so children could sled down the hill.” The park’s amenities include: a picnic area, drinking water, hiking trails, a water feature and a skate park.

• Clay Street Nature Park, 511 E. Clay St., offers a 1.4-acre setting in which visitors will find a picnic area and areas for fishing.

• Cravath Lakefront Park, 341 S. Fremont St., was designated as parkland in 1990, according to the city’s website, with a goal of encouraging visitors to the city’s downtown. Among its features is the Cravath Lakefront Community Center. Prior to its dedication as a park, the land contained remnants of industrial use, such as a “dump site,” and “oil tank storage,” the website reads. Visitors, today, use the park for myriad occasions, including celebrations and weddings, and the park is the location of the city’s multi-day Fourth of July festivities. The 6.1-acre park includes an enclosed shelter, open shelter, drinking water, restrooms, a boat ramp, and water features, among other amenities.

• East Gate Park, Jakes Way, is a neighborhood, pocket park on the city’s southeast side, providing playground equipment. It’s 2 acres was dedicated to the city as part of the Pine Bluff subdivision, the city’s website states.

• Flat Iron Park, located adjacent to the city’s Cultural Art Center, offers approximately a half acre of land, with benches surrounding the city’s ornate Birge Fountain, and some picnic tables.

• Main Street Shoppes Courtyard, 112 N. First St., is a mini or pocket park with picnic tables available.

• Meadowsweet, 601 N. Tratt St., the city’s website states, is a 4-acre multipurpose area where visitors will find hiking opportunities and a picnic area.

• Mill Race, 124 W. Main St., offers hard-surface walking paths near the city’s downtown mill pond, and, the city’s website notes, it has become a “popular fishing spot.” The half-acre space also offers views of the mill pond, which was developed in 1839 by then-settlers Asif Pratt and James Tripp(e), and was instrumental in the manufacture of flour and grain. The mill pond was involved in industrial operations until 1960, the website notes.

• Minneiska Park, Tanner Way, is a 20-acre park built in 2019 in the Waters Edge neighborhood. The park boasts water features, opportunities for hiking, and playground equipment.

• Moraine View Park, 1201 Innovation Dr., offers visitors 45 acres of open land for hiking and other “multi-purpose” activities. The space additionally provides a picnic area. The park, which is found adjacent to the Whitewater University Technology Park and Innovation Center, was established in 2000. Visitors, the city’s website states, will find native plants, and soccer fields, among other amenities.

• Optimist Turtle Mound, 1302 Turtle Mound Ln., is a mini or pocket park found within the Mound Park Acres neighborhood. Developed in 1994, the space offers “free play” and pickup sports areas, along with a playground, closed and open shelters, and picnic area.

• Ray Trost Nature Preserve, 130 W. Starin Rd., is a two-acre space which was endowed to the city in memory of the late Whitewater Police Sgt. Ray Trost, who served on the city’s force between 1991 and 2010, by his wife, Jean, who, along with members of the city’s staff also developed a reflection garden, complete with memorial benches and a stamped concrete walkway, at the site. The space also is used for hiking, the city’s website states.

• Skyway Park, Tower Hill Pass, is a 4.1-acre space found near the Park Crest subdivision. Dedicated in 2006, the park features a picnic area and playground equipment.

• Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Rd., was established in 1888, and, according to the city’s website, it is “one of the oldest recognized parks in Wisconsin.” With more than 34 acres, the park offers such amenities as enclosed and open shelters, areas to picnic and grill, drinking water, restrooms, playground equipment, ball diamonds, and areas to hike, cross-country ski and snowshoe. Within its history, the park has served to house veterans during World War II, and today is home to a veteran’s war memorial honoring those who served. The park also is the home to a youth baseball field called “Treyton’s Field of Dreams,” which was built in 2013 in memory of an elementary-school-aged resident, Treyton Kilar, who died in a car crash. 

• Trippe Lake Park, 407 S. Wisconsin St., offers 24-acres of recreational area which was dedicated as a city park in 1958. According to the city’s website, the park was named after James and Rosepha Trippe, who are credited with founding Whitewater in 1839. Offering some history, the website states that Trippe Lake was formed as the result of a dam, which was built to power a sawmill. Today, the lake is popular with those who enjoy fishing. The park includes a boat launch, a fishing pier, and, used as a popular wintertime destination, a sledding hill. Additionally, the park includes such amenities as an open shelter, restrooms, drinking water, areas to picnic and grill, and playground equipment, among others.

• Walton Oaks, 654 Stonefield Ln., serves as a neighborhood resource and pocket park, and was developed as part of the Park Crest subdivision, the city’s website notes. The parkland was given to the city by resident Ross Walton in memory of his family’s farm. Additionally, a bench, in memory of Don and Ethel Walton, is found on the property. The space is used as a multipurpose area and for hiking.

• Whitewater Bark Park, 546 N. Jefferson St., is the city’s dog park. It offers nearly 4 acres where canines can exercise, and has a small open shelter.

• Whitewater Creek Nature Area, 685 N. Fremont St., offers nearly 60 acres of open land, including wetlands, woods and a small prairie. Visitors to the space will find a picnic area, and opportunities to fish, hike, and ski.

• Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve, 288 Indian Mound Pkwy., boasts 21.5 acres near land upon which, the city’s website states, “one of the largest collections of effigy mounds in the country” is found. Four of the mounds are included within the park and are thought to have been built between 800 and 1200 A.D., with, the website states, the oldest mounds shaped geometrically and new mounds shaped like animals. Mounds range in size from 60 to 300 feet, the website adds. Further, the website notes, Samuel Prince, Whitewater’s first settler, built a log cabin in the area.

Information about the city’s parks, photographs of each, and a map depicting each park’s location, can be found here: https://www.wwparks.org/parks.